The Hook
Imagine a single bus driver. Now, imagine asking that driver to pull over and pick up the entire population of a regional city—without upgrading the engine, the tyres, or the number of seats. That is exactly what the NSW Government is asking of Mona Vale.
The Reality Gap
We are told Mona Vale is a "sleepy" coastal suburb. The 2021 Census says there are just 10,877 of us living here. To a bureaucrat in a Sydney CBD office, that looks like "under-utilised" land. But they aren't looking at the maths that actually runs this peninsula.
Mona Vale isn't just a suburb; it’s a Regional Service Hub. According to Northern Beaches Council data, we aren't just servicing 11,000 people. We are the "engine room" for a catchment of 64,366 residents. From Bayview to Palm Beach, thousands of people rely on our doctors, our schools, our libraries, and our three supermarkets every single day.
The Comparison That Shocks
To find another suburb in Greater Sydney that services a daily load of 64,000 people, you have to look at the giants:
- Strathfield: A massive transit and education hub.
- Blacktown: One of the most populous residential centers in the state.
- Castle Hill: The "Capital" of the Hills District.
The difference? Those suburbs have heavy rail, multi-lane arterial highways, and massive state-funded infrastructure. Mona Vale has just two roads in and out. Mona Road - a half-finished two-lane road (this way because the State government removed funding because it has "other priorities"); and Pittwater Road. That is already a bottleneck and an "enhanced bus service" (the B-Line) that hit 5.9 million trips in its first year. No 24 hour rapid transit: no dedicated bus lanes: no new "metro"; no rail service; no ferry service. Just rubber on road - two roads.
The Breaking Point
When the State Government uses the "Low and Mid-Rise" (LMR) legislation to double our resident population, they aren't just adding 10,000 people to a town of 11,000. They are trying to shove a total load of 74,000 people through a village centre designed for a fraction of that size.
If the "engine room" of the Upper Peninsula seizes up, it doesn't just affect Mona Vale. It gridlocks the rest of the beaches villages. We aren't fighting against progress; we are fighting against a mathematical impossibility.
So, don't let them stifle and suffocate the heart of the peninsula. Act now - sign our open letter to The Premier and The Minister for (just let the developers do the) Planning on change.org - Mona Vale sacrificed to feed developers' profits. We must stop the "Luxury Loophole"
And join our fight and be heard at sosmonavale.com.au
